tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124376872014-10-21T06:01:14.643+08:00The Edible GardenFood &amp; EnvironmentMackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-991213157998895892012-10-18T21:19:00.003+08:002012-10-18T21:22:05.396+08:00Still WaitingSigh. Everything moves at a snails pace around here. I've learned to take it easy, but can't help the occasional frustration. I'm still waiting for the necessary papers I need to start the process of procuring the farmland I negotiated for.<br /><br />Here is the beautiful piece of land that is worth the wait. Although, I can't say how much longer my coffee seedlings can wait.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FZo5glR3Yws/UH_45tLgVUI/AAAAAAAAAVw/XFIkvdk7Bxw/s1600/IMG_0327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FZo5glR3Yws/UH_45tLgVUI/AAAAAAAAAVw/XFIkvdk7Bxw/s640/IMG_0327.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T18ZD6xfBqw/UH_5uTR19TI/AAAAAAAAAV8/0L6dU2d17N4/s1600/IMG_0326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T18ZD6xfBqw/UH_5uTR19TI/AAAAAAAAAV8/0L6dU2d17N4/s640/IMG_0326.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c7V2gk_OIGE/UH_7sv-AlGI/AAAAAAAAAWY/azWIUt1wdCI/s1600/IMG_0331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c7V2gk_OIGE/UH_7sv-AlGI/AAAAAAAAAWY/azWIUt1wdCI/s640/IMG_0331.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="goog_1462578606"></span><span id="goog_1462578607"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HFdBqCOawPY/UIAAuOVBkAI/AAAAAAAAAW8/uZPMPgyCa3o/s1600/IMG_0334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HFdBqCOawPY/UIAAuOVBkAI/AAAAAAAAAW8/uZPMPgyCa3o/s640/IMG_0334.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-11497776042697104902012-10-18T20:18:00.001+08:002012-10-18T20:29:10.572+08:00Indigenous Microorganisms in Natural Farming (IMO) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I found these videos on YouTube and can say they basically describe the formulas I learned to make at the Natural Farming seminar I attended with some negligible differences.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How to capture, cultivate, preserve, and use IMO.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">IMO 1 - 5</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/xOO1_jNKbKw/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xOO1_jNKbKw&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xOO1_jNKbKw&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/h7iSXrjnzas/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/h7iSXrjnzas&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/h7iSXrjnzas&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/dS2yxvB83n8/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dS2yxvB83n8&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dS2yxvB83n8&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lactic Acid Bacteria (LABS)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/IG4M71vMbTs/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IG4M71vMbTs&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IG4M71vMbTs&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-66997890733962350942012-08-06T18:48:00.001+08:002012-08-06T18:48:26.483+08:00Food RevolutionIf you've lived or visited San Francisco you will certainly have heard of Alice Waters, owner/proprietor of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley. This <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adrian-grenier/peter-glatzer-shft-series-food-revolution_b_1737642.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000040" target="_blank">article</a> about a paradigm shift in how Americans relate to their food shows a video of AW talking about how she came to revolutionize food in America, this video SPEAKS to me! For one, my present interest in farming stems from my love of food. Like her, my trip to Paris changed the way I viewed food forever. I didn't start out with a philosophical stand, I simply wanted the basic ingredients I used to cook to have optimal flavor. I started to wonder why it didn't in the first place. Why did a tomato in France taste different from the ones in the US or the Philippines? Or a yellow pepper, chicken, or chanterelle mushroom for that matter? That simple desire to have access to flavorful produce led to a hotbed of political, industrial, social, and philosophical quagmires that left me no choice but to be a radical revolutionary! Yet, am I? For one thing, eating for one's wellbeing is not a new phenomenon. Eating for health is where great cuisines stem from and in many parts of the world continues to be.Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-39876484362531058522012-07-30T08:48:00.000+08:002012-08-02T05:19:41.763+08:00Roundtable Discussion on Renewable EnergyWhile in Davao I was invited by Prof. Tess Olives to sit in the discussion between Mindanao renewable energy NGOs and local government. The discussion was sponsored by Ateneo Davao and organized by <a href="http://www.aksyonklima.com/" target="_blank">Aksyon Klima Pilipinas</a>. To begin, the premise of the whole discussion was the new FIT and corresponding idea of SoFIT. I am not familiar with these new ordinances so will not discuss it, instead I have some thoughts on renewable energy in general and the the role of Mindanao.<br /><br />Renewable energy is attractive to environmentalists because of the renewable nature of its sources - wind, ocean, hydro, solar, geothermal, and biofuels, but achieving environmental sustainability will depend on the goals set by the implementers and not solely on the use of its resources. Continuing with the present power industry's paradigm will not lead to sustainability even if the source of power is renewable. The most disturbing idea I heard is using hydro-power to power Mindanao. Apparently, Mindanao is rich in water resources and the complaint was that a national plan was underway to subsidise wind power which would leave Mindanao paying for a technology that didn't apply to their provinces, since wind is not strong enough in the region as it is for Luzon and the Visayas. A subsidy for renewable energy in general would be more beneficial so each region can use the resource most available in their particular areas. I would have to agree with this, not only for it's sound logic, but also for the diversity of technologies this would create. But harnessing water from Mindanao's rivers, which could only mean building mega-dams, would be environmentally disastrous and thus unsustainable. So why is it even being discussed? Obviously, each group had their own agendas in the discussion, not all were savvy in the world of environmental sustainability, and even those that were my not have the same sentiments.<br /><br />In my opinion, if we are talking about environmental sustainability and climate change then the discussion must include, first and foremost, a plan to drastically reduce energy consumption and design policies around energy efficiency. This would necessarily begin with, or in conjunction with, urban planning. Creating policies solely on producing renewable energy technology to replace the present polluting technologies will eventually lead to the same fate we are trying to avoid. And we don't get a second chance this time. Changing the toys but not the game will do nothing to slow down climate change or help the country move towards sustainable development, if indeed this is the goal. In fact the goals of government and corporations may be simply to replace the present technology because in fact the resources these technologies depend on is fast running out. So on to the next available resource. But can we run out of air, water, and sunlight? It's not that simple. The question should be, would renewable energy projects create meaningful change in the issue of Climate Change? If the goal is environmental sustainability then one must consider the entire process of production and implementation to achieve goals of sustainability. Looking at only one part of the process and ignoring the rest will not lead us any closer to our goals. Let's take wind energy as an example, harnessing wind power to supply energy to businesses and households sounds environmentally benign, but if we take the construction of modern windmills into consideration we then see that it is no longer environmentally-friendly. Modern windmills are made of steel, which needs to be mined...you see where I'm going. A credit/debit accounting of the whole process is needed to show that the technology will lead to goals of sustainability. The NGOs present know the whys and hows of creating a sustainable energy future, but will government and corporations, who are new to the game, listen?Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-10104279963042598612012-07-29T10:00:00.000+08:002012-08-02T06:06:42.083+08:00Natural Farming Training SeminarA truly wonderful 4-day training on how to grow crops, fruit trees, and livestock without any chemical pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics and hormones. More than that it teaches you how to enjoy farming,be self-reliant,respect life, and lead a healthy happy life. When I started this blog about 10 years ago this was the vision I had when I hired a consultant to turn my 2000 sqm property in Antipolo into an organic farm. Unfortunately, this person was unscrupulous and I had to give up the dream. I tried to do it on my own but my only resources were books on Permaculture and Organic Farming, all from a northern perspective. It was very difficult to apply to a tropical climate and looking for alternatives was even more daunting and time consuming. One would have to be educated in botany, entomology, soil science, ecology, etc, etc. Or at the very least have a degree in agriculture. I decided instead to pursue environmental studies and environmental conservation is the work I do now. In the process I have come back to farming in one of my foundation's projects. Conventional agriculture is one of the greatest foes of wildlife habitat and causes massive environmental degradation. It is also not very lucrative for the farm worker who stays poor and lives on a hand-to-mouth existence. Something has to be done to change this. Afterall, where would we be without farmers, or the environment for that matter? The farmer's status in society has gone way down since the Green Revolution. It's no longer a job anyone aspires to, but is undertaken out of necessity. Farm owners, on the other hand, are lucrative and wealthy. It has become a business like any other that has taken the processes of nature and the wellbeing of people out of the equation. Conventional farm owners, to put it simply, have only one thing in mind and that is to make a profit, which unfailingly leads to cutting corners. Thus, nutrition and flavor of the produce was placed on the wayside as well as kindness to living things, self-reliance, and pride in one's work. There is no virtue in conventional agriculture.<br /><br />One thing to keep in mind, Natural Farming is not for the lazy. The 4-day training was intense. In the end I came out armed with the philosophical and practical knowledge I need to start farming the proper way. I went with two of my staff. Mario was with me from the beginning in Antipolo, a farmer from Negros who will come with me to Antique. Noriel works for me in CAPE Foundation, Inc. and will eventually be training other farmers. Natural Farming is different from organic farming in that it uses the Korean method of applying the principles of nature in controlling the outcome of one's produce. The use of indigenous microorganisms in making fertilizers and inducing growth is the main component of Korean Natural Farming, a method of farming developed in the 1960's by Cho Han-kyu. Today, this method of farming has centers in Japan, China,Thailand, Malaysia (center of NF in SEA), Philippines, Vietnam, and Mongolia. Now just imagine that this farming method has been in existence before the present widespread conventional agriculture that was initiated and touted as the Green Revolution by the USA. In fact, traditional farming in many parts of the world has been lost and replaced by the pervasive monoculture farming method which relies on buying farming inputs and depending on technology provided by these corporations. To earn a decent profit from it would need to be done on a large scale. The bigger the farm, the better. Because of the sheer size of conventional farms, having machinery is necessary, which means being reliant on fossil fuels. As a matter-of-fact, conventional farming is completely relient on fossil fuels. You can imagine how much capital you'd need to start a conventional farm. You would think that this would be a lucrative business because of its pervasiveness and the simple fact that you have a ready market. Yet, do you know of a rich farmer in the US or anywhere in the world? I haven't heard of a farmer making the Forbes 500. Yet, the corporations that sell farming inputs, farm machinery and farm produce litter the Fortune 500 list. In the Philippines, government seats are filled with agricultural landowners.<br /><br />An alternative, or rather, going back to traditional methods of farming and ridding ourselves of the type of farming that is destructive to nature and our wellbeing is necessary if we are to achieve food security and environmental sustainability.<br /><br /><a href="http://hotmanila.ph/Science&amp;Env/2005/mutant1005082901.htm" target="_blank">Mutants On Your Plate by Alan C. Robles</a><br /><i>An article that explains the nature of GMO and its effects on health and the environment.</i><br /><br /><a href="http://pcij.org/stories/why-are-filipinos-hungry/" target="_blank">Why Are Filipino Hungry? by Ernesto N. Ordoñez</a><br /><i>A comprehensive look at the causes of hunger in the Philippines.</i><br /><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&amp;q=cache:W3UChv2PsLAJ:www.psmid.org.ph/vol26/vol26num2topic6.pdf+philippine+livestock+and+antibiotics&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=ph&amp;pid=bl&amp;srcid=ADGEESipVJWnMtGKCpa9d42HA8yOHd9MIPlOUUEb_Q6kyBNGU-BrkQY5bgQdmPxCpPuKoqiTiwu-ElIwwXgJ1MkRMH0dTjfigQKn6_WzPlcik4kXqSpZWUGLxRmcJgl4ZgeT1p1al4TG&amp;sig=AHIEtbRVKSGhYBoGQIJ2wNQAdNiGR7G4Rw&amp;pli=1" target="_blank">Inappropriate Antibiotic Use in the Philippines</a><br /><i>A paper on the multiple effects of inappropriate use of antibiotics. The section of antibiotic use in agriculture and aquaculture is relevant to this post.</i><br /><i><br /></i><br /><a href="http://nrcp.dost.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=9:antibiotic-sourced-from-mushroom-to-boost-rp-livestock&amp;catid=68:biological-sciences&amp;Itemid=11" target="_blank">Antibiotic Sourced from Mushroom to Boost Livestock</a><br /><i>An interesting paper on using Clitopilus passeckerianus in fermented juices.</i><br /><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&amp;q=cache:juc5W46nI2sJ:www.nast.ph/index.php?option%3Dcom_docman%26task%3Ddoc_download%26gid%3D139%26Itemid%3D7+&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=ph&amp;pid=bl&amp;srcid=ADGEESgXWAhU0Arn4deTjGZpvmeiuAKnr8hb1_MDTXBmhMFKAEzFF9zbMMPTpLAWYt5V_hxERDQKhQIb7xkZX5hbOTRl6Id1ZQNaJxiy1G1BwZyuGHCYbP4OVpRuMo8f9qc-uy4wAduT&amp;sig=AHIEtbSgQijm1-S0AtLHrFNMPkStkKOTkQ&amp;pli=1" target="_blank">How Sustainable is Organic Agriculture in the Philippines?</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph/momentum/philorgagri/" target="_blank">Philippine Organic Agriculture Information Network</a><br /><br /><br />Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-32384589691243865492012-07-17T16:50:00.001+08:002012-07-19T09:50:33.442+08:00Ten Steps for Eating Locally Year Round<br /><a href="http://foyupdate.blogspot.com/2012/07/notes-on-eating-locally-year-round.html" target="_blank">Ten Steps for Eating Locally Year Round - Guest Post by Carolyn Raffensperger</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-33014255095445215912012-06-24T05:36:00.000+08:002012-06-26T03:39:07.543+08:00Transportation and Rio+20Transportation policies and principles in Urban Design is the crux of issues concerning Climate Change. Modern cities are built around the use of only one form of transportation - the automobile. Pedestrians, bikes, and public transport, of which combined creates a walkable city, are left on the wayside and those that can afford to are often forced to use a car to make it to work, do shopping, drop off the kids, go to a friends house, etc. Those that can't afford to are forced to take cramped public transportation, breath carcinogenic air, and many times do not make it to work at all. That is why the $175 billion <a href="http://www.adb.org/news/billions-benefit-rio20-transport-commitment" target="_blank">pledge</a> made by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and seven other multilateral development banks (MDBs) towards the improvement of sustainable transportation in developing countries is such an important step made in the recently concluded Rio+20 Summit. I look forward to seeing the changes this commitment will bring to countries around the world, especially the Philippines. <br /><br />The Rio+20 Summit was a failure by many standards, but this is not to say that all is lost. The significance of Rio+20 is that it has become perfectly clear that leading governments across the globe are not going to do a thing about the environmental crisis. It makes me wonder why they even showed up.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">&nbsp; <a href="http://e360.yale.edu/digest/rio_20_summit_ends_with_little_faith_in_government_solutions/3521/" target="_blank">RIO+20 SUMMIT ENDS, WITH&nbsp;LITTLE FAITH SEEN IN GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS</a></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">Twenty years after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro promised an era of aggressive action on biodiversity loss and global warming, the United Nations Rio+20 sustainability summit ended Friday with recriminations and a growing sense that international institutions will&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/22/us-un-climate-idUSBRE85H19320120622" style="font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">play an increasingly diminished role in solving environmental problems</span></a><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/22/us-un-climate-idUSBRE85H19320120622" style="color: #005626; font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">.</a><span style="font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">&nbsp;World leaders — with the notable absence of the heads of the U.S., U.K, Germany, and Russia — approved an agreement that lacked specifics, commitments, and measurable targets on how to promote sustainable economic development. Numerous conservationists and officials said that cities, local governments, the private sector, and environmental groups will now have to play the key role in fostering sustainable economic growth, slowing climate change, and preserving biodiversity. “The greening of our economies will have to happen without the blessing of world leaders,” said Lasse Gustavson, executive director of the World Wildlife Fund. Speaking on the final day of the summit, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the U.S. would partner with 400 companies to eliminate deforestation in their supply chains and would provide&nbsp;</span><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/clinton-speaking-rio20-summit-16627074#.T-ThAo7qWao" style="font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">$20 million in grants for clean energy projects in Africa</span></a><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/clinton-speaking-rio20-summit-16627074#.T-ThAo7qWao" style="color: #005626; font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">.</a></blockquote><br />Important as it is that governments cooperate, it is even more important that individuals, businesses, and cities or nations move towards a sustainable future inspite of what is happening with their national governments. Indeed these things are already happening and well on it's way to a movement strengthened by nothing more than the will to do what is right.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jun/18/rio-20-ban-ki-moon?fb=native&amp;CMP=FBCNETTXT9038" target="_blank">Ban Ki-moon: the momentum for change at Rio+20 is irreversible</a><br /><br /><a href="http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0620-hance-rio20-groups-react.html?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150976270204096_23578574_10150979078624096#" target="_blank">Cowards at Rio?: organizations decry 'pathetic' agreement</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ciel.org/Blog/?p=646" target="_blank">Rio+20 Outcome: The Anthropocene Challenge</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-613066290871633552012-06-23T06:18:00.000+08:002012-06-25T13:20:58.502+08:00Andry Lim, Natural Farming AdvocateGrowing crops and raising livestock without the use of synthetic chemicals is humane, healthy for people, environmentally-friendly, and cost-effective. I would be hard pressed to imagine anything negative about this system of farming, on the contrary it is a viable alternative to conventional farming, which is destroying our natural areas and polluting our waters. Conventional farming is also highly dependent on fossil fuels, which is a major driver of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change" target="_blank">Climate Change</a>. I've heard much about Andry Lim and even spoke to him on the phone before I decided to take his seminar in Natural Farming, which is principally a system of farming called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_farming" target="_blank">Integrated Farming</a>. Many people have benefited from his expertise and many more will. The next seminar is on July 23-28 in Davao.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.agribusinessweek.com/natural-farming-transforms-a-formerly-run-down-farm/" target="_blank">Natural Farming Transforms a Formerly Run-Down Farm</a><br /><br /><a href="http://turningboholano.blogspot.com/2012/01/natural-farming-with-andry-lim.html" target="_blank">Natural Farming with Andry Lim</a><br /><br />Another farm I know of which holds seminars in Natural Farming is the<a href="http://costalesnaturefarms.com/Integrated_Natural_Farming/Integrated_natural_farming.htm" target="_blank"> Costales Nature Farms</a>.<br /><br />Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-3949747651300415652012-06-22T19:52:00.001+08:002012-07-30T10:45:27.686+08:00Natural Farming Training in DavaoSince I arrived two years ago (Wow has it been that long already?) I founded a <a href="http://capefoundationinc.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">conservation organization</a>&nbsp;that does work in an area I've come to love. I live by the beach and everyday I witness a spectacular sunset, a flock of egrets flying from their roost at dawn and coming back before the sun sets, bats feeding on fruit trees at night, and every month the evening shadows made by the intense glow of the full moon. Being at the perimeter of a protected natural park I see more wildlife in my garden, and in my house, than anywhere else before. But the real adventure is in hiking up the mountains to see hornbills, snakes, unusual wild plants, fresh water turtles, forest crabs, yes crabs! And many other hidden creatures whose chirps and cries I can only hear and haven't seen. I am, oddly, very comfortable in this rural and wild place. Although, I've always enjoyed spending some time in the wilderness I've never actually thought of living in a remote area. Remote may be too strong to describe where I live. It is rural with almost none of the city conveniences, but it is only a forty minute drive to one very small city and a twenty minute drive to a small town. I love being here so much that I have been under negotiations to purchase a plot of land to finally have a proper farm. After the fiasco a couple of years back, which ended up with a failed farm, I am more confident now that things will turn out better. For one thing, the training for natural farming is now widely available and has been proven to work in many areas of the Philippines. Unlike a couple of years ago when I hired the only person that had the skills needed to establish a natural farm. Unfortunately, he was selfish with that knowledge and only pretended to want to help when in fact he just took the money and didn't deliver his end of the deal. The trainers for natural farming now-a-days have made it their advocacy and is eager to train as many farmers and would-be-farmers. The cost of training itself is quite affordable and the benefits are enormous. But let's not get ahead of ourselves! I will soon be blogging about it all.Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-62805416842005062072010-03-02T12:25:00.014+08:002012-06-25T13:22:32.622+08:00Food & HistoryExciting things are happening in Metro Manila. I attended two forums on Philippine Food, one on Green Tropical Architecture and a revealing historical tour of Intramuros.<br /><br />It's a great feeling to know that something I advocate, local sustainable food (wherever I am), is finally gaining some ground in the metropolis. Although, it is far from the mainstream, important and influential people in the world of Phil. food are talking about it and spreading the word. Good food is appreciated by everyone, so I am not of the belief that local sustainable food is an exercise in failure or an out-of-date concept. Other factors lie in the demise of small farms growing heritage crops and "artisan" producers. But I won't go there just yet.<br /><br />All the speakers in both food forums had intriguing and well thought out ideas on the state of Philippine food. The talks, although about food, delved into culture, business and history. The last to talk in the first forum I attended, <a href="http://info.enderuncolleges.com/adinmanila.html">Alain Ducasse: Before Cuisine There Was Nature</a>, was the famous French Chef himself who summed up the forum by talking about the concept of Glocal food. Glocal in a nutshell means to, “think globally, act locally.” In the world of food and cuisine, it means to use global techniques in cooking while using local sustainable produce. In this age of Climate Change, this is a wise attitude to take.<br /><br />Straight from the food forum I went to another forum this time by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Architecture-Advocacy-Philippines/122244534756?v=info#!/pages/Green-Architecture-Advocacy-Philippines/122244534756?v=wall">Green Architecture Advocacy Philippines</a>. Each time a practicing green architect gives a talk on the different aspects of Tropical Green Architecture. The one I went to was about cooling buildings and homes. Arch. Raymond Sih explained the why’s and how’s of cooling structures in an urban setting. These talks occur every month as advocates of green architecture explain the necessity and practicality of building or retrofitting with the environment in mind.<br /><br />The second food forum on Phil. food, <a href="http://info.enderuncolleges.com/SarilingAtin.html">Ang Sariling Atin</a>, conducted by Amy Besa of The Purple Yam restaurant in New York and author of the award winning cookbook Memories of Philippine Kitchens, was bittersweet. It was pure delight seeing the different local Filipino food processes and listening to Ambeth Ocampo on Filipino food in history. It was interesting to learn that ube comes in a number of varieties from white to deep purple in color, white being the more flavorful. I never knew that and will now make it my mission to try all the ube varieties I can! In the same forum we sadly heard of the vanishing local delicacies. <a href="http://indanggovph.com/gallery.html?category_id=6&amp;parent_id=6&amp;photo_id=21&amp;start=0">Arenga vinegar</a> and the different varieties of Negros suman which can no longer be obtained have lost it’s appeal for producers. The Negros suman brought over by Lyn Besa-Gamboa were just delicious: <a href="http://www.medskul.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=4502&amp;size=big">Alupi</a>, Sundol, <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vEq-wkYLAPU/SQICqRgkY2I/AAAAAAAAC1c/FBVXTkT3W0U/s400/sumanlatiknew2.jpg">Latik</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34815340@N06/3587374062/">Pururutong</a> and Mais, all of which had to be made special for that day by artisan producers. It really is a pity. <br /><br />That evening, the icing on the cake for that day, was the sunset <a href="http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/2010/02/manila-transitio-1945.html">Intramuros Tour of Carlos Celdran</a>, to mark the 65th Anniversary of the Battle of Manila. The moon was out and it was a lovely way to spend the evening. The tour began at the Manila Cathedral then we walked around moonlit Intramuros, stopping at particular Hispanic and American buildings where Carlos would give an entertaining history of the Spanish-American War of Phil. Independence. The way it really happened. We then proceeded to the Bamboo Gardens for dinner and the mellow music of a Flamenco guitar band. The evening ended with more than a hundred people lighting up the skies with “spirit balloons”. Here are some snapshots of the tour...<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4y1W_lMo-I/AAAAAAAAAL0/INz3pdsZAiQ/s1600-h/P1050720.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="427" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443925456213287906" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4y1W_lMo-I/AAAAAAAAAL0/INz3pdsZAiQ/s640/P1050720.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4y1WMFzZVI/AAAAAAAAALs/kthjVI1bJuM/s1600-h/P1050765.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443925442391401810" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4y1WMFzZVI/AAAAAAAAALs/kthjVI1bJuM/s640/P1050765.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ytT0ivUlI/AAAAAAAAALk/Mlqt81SGaFU/s1600-h/P1050760.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443916605617558098" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ytT0ivUlI/AAAAAAAAALk/Mlqt81SGaFU/s640/P1050760.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="427" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ytTZCEBmI/AAAAAAAAALc/wx2d-Y-B2X4/s1600-h/P1050758.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443916598232745570" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ytTZCEBmI/AAAAAAAAALc/wx2d-Y-B2X4/s640/P1050758.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ytS-v0WOI/AAAAAAAAALU/Ij0lFfpRcgg/s1600-h/P1050751.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443916591176898786" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ytS-v0WOI/AAAAAAAAALU/Ij0lFfpRcgg/s640/P1050751.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ypnQ1AllI/AAAAAAAAALM/_t8VTNOBOC0/s1600-h/P1050747.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443912541581383250" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ypnQ1AllI/AAAAAAAAALM/_t8VTNOBOC0/s640/P1050747.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ypmwR4hWI/AAAAAAAAALE/4GjQumXzM94/s1600-h/P1050735.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443912532844119394" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ypmwR4hWI/AAAAAAAAALE/4GjQumXzM94/s640/P1050735.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ypmeWvmXI/AAAAAAAAAK8/GGYKl2iXcoA/s1600-h/P1050744.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443912528032668018" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ypmeWvmXI/AAAAAAAAAK8/GGYKl2iXcoA/s640/P1050744.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="428" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ygS3kI4bI/AAAAAAAAAK0/gMu4ZxlZGZg/s1600-h/P1050712.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443902295597703602" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ygS3kI4bI/AAAAAAAAAK0/gMu4ZxlZGZg/s640/P1050712.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ygSdKVQ6I/AAAAAAAAAKs/dq5DDlAwuC0/s1600-h/P1050706.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443902288510141346" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ygSdKVQ6I/AAAAAAAAAKs/dq5DDlAwuC0/s640/P1050706.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ygR1gnYUI/AAAAAAAAAKk/PjTeVs2htSg/s1600-h/P1050698.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443902277866185026" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ygR1gnYUI/AAAAAAAAAKk/PjTeVs2htSg/s640/P1050698.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ygRZOC5DI/AAAAAAAAAKc/83iNxthcvtc/s1600-h/P1050696.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443902270272103474" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ygRZOC5DI/AAAAAAAAAKc/83iNxthcvtc/s640/P1050696.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ygQwPyeTI/AAAAAAAAAKU/EEHnf2Ua_LU/s1600-h/P1050693.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443902259273562418" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4ygQwPyeTI/AAAAAAAAAKU/EEHnf2Ua_LU/s640/P1050693.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4y1Xbx-qUI/AAAAAAAAAL8/3W7eoSRJc9U/s1600-h/P1050803.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443925463783090498" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4y1Xbx-qUI/AAAAAAAAAL8/3W7eoSRJc9U/s640/P1050803.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4y7_hw5FMI/AAAAAAAAAME/uyIwQGuc39M/s1600-h/P1050810.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443932749653677250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4y7_hw5FMI/AAAAAAAAAME/uyIwQGuc39M/s640/P1050810.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4y8A7Fn98I/AAAAAAAAAMM/y-8zEoKfGrE/s1600-h/P1050812.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="428" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443932773631391682" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/S4y8A7Fn98I/AAAAAAAAAMM/y-8zEoKfGrE/s640/P1050812.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a>Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-30983455550370996782009-10-07T07:42:00.003+08:002009-10-07T08:29:04.378+08:00For Your Garden & FarmA critical part of organic gardening is dealing with pests. Here is a great guide to natural pesticides by Planet Green: <a href="http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/homemade-organic-gardening-sprays.html">Homemade Organic Gardening Sprays and Concoctions That Actually Work</a>.<br /><br />For those seriously thinking of going into farming as a business. Here is an <a href="http://www.nybeginningfarmers.org/courses/">online course</a> from Cornell University.Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-37045579035867303182008-09-03T01:24:00.008+08:002012-06-25T13:26:45.735+08:00Hiking in Marin Headlands<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL19DgbzibI/AAAAAAAAAIg/8I9_BktgKN4/s1600-h/pelicanfront-1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241483040528763314" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL19DgbzibI/AAAAAAAAAIg/8I9_BktgKN4/s400/pelicanfront-1.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br />Gorgeous scenery. We hiked through winding, steep hills and valleys starting from the Miwok trail off Bunker Road, on through Wolf Ridge, up the coastal trail, on to Green Gulch where we ended our hike. We ate a late lunch at Pelican Inn. Afterwards, most of the group continued hiking a loop back to Bunker Road. I was exhausted, this being my first high elevation hike. I made it though and I would do it again.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL18K7MFhUI/AAAAAAAAAII/L0egAIOMzjk/s1600-h/P1000500.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241482068458046786" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL18K7MFhUI/AAAAAAAAAII/L0egAIOMzjk/s400/P1000500.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL18LJXTpiI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/L7dBvPILuow/s1600-h/P1000506.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241482072263206434" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL18LJXTpiI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/L7dBvPILuow/s400/P1000506.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL18LItiyGI/AAAAAAAAAIY/-ChIQAEPmsY/s1600-h/P1000516.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241482072088037474" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL18LItiyGI/AAAAAAAAAIY/-ChIQAEPmsY/s400/P1000516.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17jVdJhaI/AAAAAAAAAHg/pgACReF4PkU/s1600-h/P1000484.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241481388314166690" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17jVdJhaI/AAAAAAAAAHg/pgACReF4PkU/s400/P1000484.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17jq-PYQI/AAAAAAAAAHo/prutaOHX0cw/s1600-h/P1000486.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241481394090107138" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17jq-PYQI/AAAAAAAAAHo/prutaOHX0cw/s400/P1000486.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17jro_29I/AAAAAAAAAHw/-8rmtTD_slU/s1600-h/P1000487.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241481394269445074" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17jro_29I/AAAAAAAAAHw/-8rmtTD_slU/s400/P1000487.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17j6k7ZvI/AAAAAAAAAH4/o2fFp-JRjD8/s1600-h/P1000488.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241481398278907634" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17j6k7ZvI/AAAAAAAAAH4/o2fFp-JRjD8/s400/P1000488.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17jz9UK6I/AAAAAAAAAIA/NW2BWWPWDwg/s1600-h/P1000493.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241481396502145954" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17jz9UK6I/AAAAAAAAAIA/NW2BWWPWDwg/s400/P1000493.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17BJdJqNI/AAAAAAAAAG4/Qel2UgZX6QI/s1600-h/P1000467.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241480800977397970" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17BJdJqNI/AAAAAAAAAG4/Qel2UgZX6QI/s400/P1000467.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17BIG0-CI/AAAAAAAAAHA/Ymh1t5gJ3nk/s1600-h/P1000475.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241480800615331874" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17BIG0-CI/AAAAAAAAAHA/Ymh1t5gJ3nk/s400/P1000475.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17BcLUMPI/AAAAAAAAAHI/HkUO2f5gSJ4/s1600-h/P1000481.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241480806002864370" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17BcLUMPI/AAAAAAAAAHI/HkUO2f5gSJ4/s400/P1000481.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17BQ58cKI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/JILg3nLDmB8/s1600-h/P1000482.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241480802977214626" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17BQ58cKI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/JILg3nLDmB8/s400/P1000482.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17BrFb4fI/AAAAAAAAAHY/_YQLuWhQFdg/s1600-h/P1000483.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241480810004734450" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL17BrFb4fI/AAAAAAAAAHY/_YQLuWhQFdg/s400/P1000483.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL16Q3qRNkI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/ZZ_tKuoLFyY/s1600-h/P1000453.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241479971566859842" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL16Q3qRNkI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/ZZ_tKuoLFyY/s400/P1000453.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL16RHvNLmI/AAAAAAAAAGY/NJAdMWhFj_4/s1600-h/P1000456.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241479975882534498" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL16RHvNLmI/AAAAAAAAAGY/NJAdMWhFj_4/s400/P1000456.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL16RGCzhsI/AAAAAAAAAGg/8BJMQguCedY/s1600-h/P1000458.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241479975427868354" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL16RGCzhsI/AAAAAAAAAGg/8BJMQguCedY/s400/P1000458.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL16RX9UKPI/AAAAAAAAAGo/l32WpSgeN1s/s1600-h/P1000460.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241479980236679410" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL16RX9UKPI/AAAAAAAAAGo/l32WpSgeN1s/s400/P1000460.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL16RXqDdQI/AAAAAAAAAGw/xxmVlthNrlI/s1600-h/P1000461.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241479980155892994" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SL16RXqDdQI/AAAAAAAAAGw/xxmVlthNrlI/s400/P1000461.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a>Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-15344187918114471462008-08-16T03:44:00.009+08:002012-06-25T13:27:10.437+08:00Hiking Hayward's Shoreline Regional Trail<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXtO-qnRBI/AAAAAAAAAFg/sgZk6nVpxOA/s1600-h/P1000387.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234850983483753490" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXtO-qnRBI/AAAAAAAAAFg/sgZk6nVpxOA/s400/P1000387.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXtPO-c9fI/AAAAAAAAAFo/408zTzJ741A/s1600-h/P1000394.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234850987861931506" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXtPO-c9fI/AAAAAAAAAFo/408zTzJ741A/s400/P1000394.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br />Hiking the <a href="http://www.ebparks.org/parks/hayward">Shoreline Trail</a> was a truly pleasant experience. I languidly walked the 7-mile trail, taking it all in, stopping many times to observe the hazy colors of the landscape. We started out at 10am which is the perfect time to take pictures on a sunny day. The warm breeze tickled my face as I started out briskly following the 30 some group. Not very long afterwards, about 3-minutes into the hike actually, I fell behind barely hearing the distant chatter of my group. I couldn't help having to take a slow walk from that point on as I gazed at the splash of earthy colors surrounding me. I felt warm and fuzzy. Later on we crossed two bridges. One long rustic wooden bridge with fading blue-green paint and one art deco (?) metal bridge. I don't know what it is about bridges that fascinate me. Especially old rustic ones. The trail led us through mud flats, salt marshes and grasslands usually abundant with birds. Early morning was a peaceful, languid landscape. Caught two birds snoozing in the sun. As we walked back in the early afternoon, the tide was low and birds were all around feeding on the tiny creatures in the mud. Bikers, joggers, more hikers, fishermen and children dotted the scene. We walked approximately 3 miles of the 7-mile trail. I'm thinking of moving to Hayward.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXqgSPFzOI/AAAAAAAAAFA/KfBvsn_xOhQ/s1600-h/P1000431.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234847982259916002" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXqgSPFzOI/AAAAAAAAAFA/KfBvsn_xOhQ/s400/P1000431.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXqg41LDmI/AAAAAAAAAFI/fHEXmlomVrM/s1600-h/P1000436.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234847992620191330" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXqg41LDmI/AAAAAAAAAFI/fHEXmlomVrM/s400/P1000436.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXqhHSNmYI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/k8kDyYPtcBA/s1600-h/P1000437.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234847996500089218" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXqhHSNmYI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/k8kDyYPtcBA/s400/P1000437.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXqhvHPwMI/AAAAAAAAAFY/4NB5rZNneUE/s1600-h/P1000440.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234848007191511234" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXqhvHPwMI/AAAAAAAAAFY/4NB5rZNneUE/s400/P1000440.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXox_IGw6I/AAAAAAAAAEY/iG8JVycNNhw/s1600-h/P1000406.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234846087344735138" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXox_IGw6I/AAAAAAAAAEY/iG8JVycNNhw/s400/P1000406.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXoyGBgAtI/AAAAAAAAAEg/PLUaghwZrpA/s1600-h/P1000419.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234846089196077778" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXoyGBgAtI/AAAAAAAAAEg/PLUaghwZrpA/s400/P1000419.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXoy-pqXpI/AAAAAAAAAEo/fx-AsoeY6R8/s1600-h/P1000422.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234846104396914322" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXoy-pqXpI/AAAAAAAAAEo/fx-AsoeY6R8/s400/P1000422.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXoz1ZnTTI/AAAAAAAAAEw/l57TlX0BfE4/s1600-h/P1000428.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234846119093554482" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXoz1ZnTTI/AAAAAAAAAEw/l57TlX0BfE4/s400/P1000428.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXo0F7BHMI/AAAAAAAAAE4/Xtb2-iZkJjo/s1600-h/P1000430.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234846123528625346" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXo0F7BHMI/AAAAAAAAAE4/Xtb2-iZkJjo/s400/P1000430.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXmk4Ge2NI/AAAAAAAAADw/I2G5Qd9xMWg/s1600-h/P1000384.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234843663097321682" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXmk4Ge2NI/AAAAAAAAADw/I2G5Qd9xMWg/s400/P1000384.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a>The Shoreline is one of very few areas in SF bay remaining that are protected. As a consequence these protected areas have become a haven for common and endangered birds.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXmlB0yOWI/AAAAAAAAAD4/zxOdEzoX1Ro/s1600-h/P1000393.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234843665707448674" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXmlB0yOWI/AAAAAAAAAD4/zxOdEzoX1Ro/s400/P1000393.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXmlbZ3_fI/AAAAAAAAAEA/pCakPcD8p6o/s1600-h/P1000397.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234843672573902322" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXmlbZ3_fI/AAAAAAAAAEA/pCakPcD8p6o/s400/P1000397.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXmlnkCiKI/AAAAAAAAAEI/L0jwneWvtsw/s1600-h/P1000398.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234843675837761698" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXmlnkCiKI/AAAAAAAAAEI/L0jwneWvtsw/s400/P1000398.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXml79BgUI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/KZ2wxQprBxY/s1600-h/P1000399.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234843681311260994" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXml79BgUI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/KZ2wxQprBxY/s400/P1000399.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXkdk-uNiI/AAAAAAAAADo/VtXXlffjqVk/s1600-h/P1000380.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234841338682160674" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXkdk-uNiI/AAAAAAAAADo/VtXXlffjqVk/s400/P1000380.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXj4FPtz1I/AAAAAAAAADg/J_frNfSy9w4/s1600-h/P1000377.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234840694508343122" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/SKXj4FPtz1I/AAAAAAAAADg/J_frNfSy9w4/s400/P1000377.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a>Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-2686660702019276682008-06-19T21:12:00.002+08:002012-06-25T13:28:29.867+08:00Summer ProduceEating food that grows naturally during the season and is grown locally not only saves the earth by not requiring more energy to grow and transport, but also tastes a lot better. I bought some juicy ripe cherries and strawberries yesterday at Rainbow Grocery. There is nothing like eating fruit that was picked ripe.<br /><br />Here are several guides to summer's produce:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cuesa.org/seasonality/charts/vegetable.php">CUESA: Vegetable Calendar</a> (there are links to the season's fruit, nuts, flowers, plants, meats and cheeses as well)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_cg_produce_guide">Food Network: Summer Fruit &amp; Veggies</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/seasonalingredientmap">Epicurious: Seasonal Ingredient Map</a> (find seasonal produce by month and by state)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kqed.org/topics/home/cooking/whats-in-season.jsp#june">KQED: What's in Season?</a> (seasonal guide that shows newly in season, peak season and winding down)Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-16772790042453474512008-06-15T13:29:00.000+08:002012-06-25T13:37:37.829+08:00SF Farmer's MarketsThe New York Times' Escapes section featured <a href="http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/travel/escapes/16sanfran.html?em&amp;ex=1211169600&amp;en=13d83e46d81570dd&amp;ei=5087%0A">San Francisco farmer's markets</a>, I had no idea there were that many, four to be exact. I sometimes go to the Ferry Plaza especially when fresh beans are available. I bought 5 pounds of fresh lima beans for $9 the last time I was there. Lima beans are a pain to prepare but really worth it in the end if you make a big batch. I fully intend to explore these markets as soon as I finish with school, which is a week from now. Here's the schedule:<br /><br />Saturdays - Alemany Market on Alemany Blvd. (6am-5pm)<br />Wednesdays (7am-5:30pm) &amp; Sundays (7am-5pm) - The Heart of the City Farmer's Market at the Civic Center<br />Thursdays - Crocker Galleria Market (11am-3pm)<br />Saturdays (8am-2pm) &amp; Tuesdays (10am-2pm) - Ferry Plaza MarketMackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-1173291986870379182008-04-19T12:33:00.001+08:002012-06-25T13:48:37.366+08:00Climate Change Short-FilmTogether, National Geographic, the IPCC, the UN and the UN Foundation produced a new short film outlining the facts, showing the impacts and providing a way forward in combating catastrophic climate change.<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-MY-i_kdwe0"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-MY-i_kdwe0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-89850658857217659652007-12-17T03:54:00.000+08:002012-06-25T13:50:18.256+08:00Josef's Speech on the Illegal Hunting of Wildlife (Birds) in the PhilippinesHooray for Josef! Josef's <a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/revolting-local-bird-massacre-website">petition</a> on stopping hunters from killing wild birds has been successful in bringing attention to this illegal activity that seems to be happening in many of the provinces around the archipelago. <span style="font-style: italic;">Hunting is second to habitat loss as the cause of species extinctions around the world.</span> A few days ago he gave a speech at the Dutch embassy that I found to be eloquent, passionate and very well informed. I wasn't there of course, since I'm here in SF, but he sent me a copy of his speech which I want to share with all of you.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif; font-size: 100%; line-height: 115%;">Before I get to the hunting issue I would like to share a little something about myself. My name is Josef M. Sagemuller, my father is German and my mom is from Negros. I am</span><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;"> no expert on birds or wildlife nor am I a conservationist or activist I am simply a fat guy who spends too much time on the internet. My educational background has nothing to do with birds, I am a jewelry designer and gemologist by trade and just stumbled into this issue gradually. However I must say I have always loved birds and as a teenager had an aviary of birds of prey in our home...a huge boo boo as the cage was overstocked with different species some quite incompatible. But I have learned since then and have realized one thing. Birds do not belong in cages.</span></div><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;">We have a “farm” in the mountains near the Kanlaon National Park at the foothills of Mt Kanlaon at an elevation of 375m. It has been with my family for well over 100years and actually used to be a carabao pasture with a 4ha remnant of virgin forest. For some time we tried to plant it to <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1197832355_0" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer;">sugar cane</span> but the terrain proved challenging. In the early 70s my parents decided to plant trees instead. They started off with Mahogany, Gmelina and Narra as well as fruit trees and coffee. Since then just maintaining the farm has been very frustrating. In the mid 80s illegal logging and slash an burn farming was very rampant in the area. And we were one of their victims and occasionally still are. At one point the slashed and burnt 20,000 ten year old Narra trees in a matter of less than a week. Because of the insurgency problem at that time there was little we could do. Thank god times have changed but unfortunately many people’s mindset hasnt. Since 1997 we were forced to employ armed guards to secure the area because of illegal logging and hunting. We have been catching loggers, hunters and thieves before reporting them to the police and DENR but trying to get some action out of them has been futile.The amount of reports of illegal logging, trapping of birds, hunting of birds, confiscation of airguns (which by the way need licenses just like any firearm) must be nearing 100 already. We have filed cases left and right some we even won but inaction has always been the common denominator among the local government. Recently a 100foot high Bita tree, a Philippine endemic tree in the farm was scorched by honey collectors who dipped a whole palm frond in kerosense and lit it up to smoke the bees out thereby burning half the tree and all the ephiphytes growing on it. It was in the middle of dry season and I thank God that the fire didnt spread as the forest was so dry it would have gone up like a tinderbox. We used to have a colony of macaques in the property but the hunters made a quick meal of them as well. Inspite of these and many appalling stories that have been going on thru the years we have been blessed as well.The guards have been quite effective to a certain degree because the birdlife has resurged. Pavel Hospodarsky(conservationist volunteer who used to work at <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1197832355_1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer;">prague</span> zoo and now in resident of negros) with his biologist wife Marisol prepared a list of the bird species sighted in the farm and to date we have over 80 different species confirmed sighted,quite a feat if you think that just under 40 years ago the farm was a bald hill with a tiny patch of virgin growth forest. I am very proud of my parents for having the foresight in planting these trees and not cutting them down. A man from DENR once told me this is the only place in Negros where the fallen branches and logs just lie around in the forest to decay helping in the cycle of life. This does not even happen in Kanlaon National Park which to my knowledge has had most of it old growth trees cut and made into charcoal to supply the barbecue chicken industry in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1197832355_2" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer;">Bacolod</span> City.This is just the tip of the iceberg considering these stories only cover a minute area of Negros Occ . I am sure this and more is going on in all areas of the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1197832355_3" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer;">Philippines</span>. It really is alarming to think of what we have lost forever and stand to lose in this country. A lady from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1197832355_4" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer;">Spain</span> who signed my petition said and I quote: “Extreme poverty in the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1197832355_5" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer;">Philippines</span> brings on most of its difficulties today. If a starving person sees an endangered species, he´ll just see it as FOOD” <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1197832355_6" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer;">this may</span> be true insome cases but most certainly not in this case. These men use sophisticated weaponry, airguns that appear to be custom made and some appearing to accommodate shotgun bullets that house hundreds of pellet which when shot can take outdozen s of birds at a time.Even their internet access is proof that they are not starving. These men are organized and they have means to pursue their “sport”. One of the hunters even identified himself in the hunting forum as a councilor and vice chairman for the Commitee of Environment in Coron, Palawan. Doesnt sound like poverty to me. As a matter of fact in the forum the hunters did use the poverty angle and the rift between the classes a lot saying they were the ones close to the poor people because they were the ones who understood their problems saying the doves and mallards were eating their grains. And that they were thankful to have the hunters over and get rid of their problem. ...this reminds me of the great sparrow campaign one of the first actions taken during Mao Zedongs great leap forward from 1958-1962. Sparrows were included on the list because they ate grain seeds, causing disruption to agriculture. It was decided that all the peasants in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1197832355_7" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer;">China</span> should bang pots and pans and run around to make the sparrows fly away in fear. Sparrow nests were torn down, eggs were broken, their nestling were also killed.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;">Initially, the campaign did improve the harvest. By April 1960 the National Academy of Science issued that sparrows ate insects more than seeds. Mao declared "forget it”, and ordered the end of the campaign against sparrows By this time, however, it was too late. With no sparrows to eat them, locust populations ballooned, swarming the country and compounding the problems already caused by the Great Leap Forward and adverse weather conditions leading to the famine. From 1959 to 1961, an estimated 38 million people died of starvation.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;">In a changing global climate we need all the allies we can get. And birds are an important ally .</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;">These hunters are obviously grasping at straws with their rationale, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt since they call themselves nature lovers then again the moon could be made of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1197832355_8" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 102, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: pointer;">blue cheese</span>. They say that by experiencing the rawness of nature, listening to the raindrops in the rainforest and the morning dew settle on the leaves and all of that romanticized hogwash they have a right to take what GOD has given them. There is nothing romantic about people in camouflage uniform tracking down defenceless and harmless birds a fraction of their size. I find it blasphemous to even mention the name of GOD to justify the callous destruction of his creation. ALL that in the name of sport. The name of GOD is always very convenient to use if you’ve run out of excuses. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;">One guy in the forum suggested they should hunt us “birdies” as they so lovingly call us.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;">Another claimed to know me...and used as his surname my mother’s maiden name. Suppose I can expect more impertinent comments in the future. My fear is that they will get back at me by sabotaging the farm and the animals since it is quite well known in the area, especially for hunters. I must admit to you that this is my greatest fear.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;">It is funny because the law is decidedly on the side of wildlife yet we still need to put up with these buffoons who act is if GOD and the law are on their side. We must make sure we unite and pursue this as the hunters are banking on the Filipino “ningas cogon” trait or in English boundless enthusiasm in the beginning that quickly fizzles out. I am with issue for the long haul and I’m sure you are as well. We must unite and find a way to make sure that the LAW is implemented and ENFORCED by the corresponding agencies. If we could only see to the implementation of half the provisions of RA 9147 we would already be at a decided advantage. Seeing that I don’t really have many answers and just complain a lot I really need your help and advice on how to proceed, only know that I am dedicated to this cause. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;"> I could go on and on talking about things that are wrong and depressing but in the spirit of this season of hope together we can perhaps find solutions. The most important thing would be education especially of the younger generation. We need to find a way to reach the more remote barangays not just the schools in the big cities to inform them of the importance of preserving our flora and fauna and let them realize the benefit of protecting their ever shrinking habitats. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;">Although the work is not done and there are quite a few troublemakers, the barangay surrounding our farm area has become more aware of this issue simply because they directly benefit from it most especially from the abundant water that comes from our farm. People in the drier parts of Negros are lucky if they can harvest 2 palay crops a year, in our area they have 3 harvests in the same timeframe. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;">Eventually they will also benefit from my family’s plans to convert the area into an ecotourism destination, so that we may set an example in educating everyone about the benefits conservation of wildlife and their habitats. I am currently applying for permits to put up a rescue centre in the farm as I plan to release the birds once they have been rehabilitated and a plan for a Negros spotted deer enclosure is in the works.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;">This past week has been encouraging and annoying. But more encouraging as a whole, I have come across some amazingly dedicated people who share the shame vision. I am so honoured to be with you all today. I would also like to specially thank Mr. Mike Lu for sticking his neck out for me since day one. He has been a great source of support and encouragement. So much for a short speech. Thank you for bearing with me.</span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS', sans-serif;">~ Josef M. Sagemuller</span></div></blockquote>Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-45769237642695115162007-12-16T14:04:00.000+08:002012-06-25T13:50:45.753+08:00Help Stop the Hunting of Endemic BirdsIt is incredible what some people do for enjoyment. A hunting group in the Philippines was discovered to be wantonly shooting endemic and some endangered birds for sport. Josef, one of my blog guests, happened to come across their website by accident. His outrage and sorrow spurred him to action. An <a href="http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/revolting-local-bird-massacre-website">online petition</a> he created explains and shows the atrocities occurring under our very noses. It really is very sad and disturbing. We need more signatures to reach the 10,000 mark. Please sign!Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-48877144583123122082007-12-16T13:32:00.000+08:002012-06-25T13:58:07.121+08:00Bali Climate Change Talks EndThere was quite a lot of drama, and it seems the talks ended on a good note with the US agreeing to 2-years of negotiations on decreasing greenhouse gas emissions together with the rest of the world. It wasn't Al Gore, whose criticism of his country's behavior garnered a round of applause, nor was it the scathing remarks of green NGO's, nor was it the threat of political suicide at home, that at the very last minute changed the mind of the US delegate and join the rest of the world in legally binding negotiations to avert further climate change. It was the very stern reprimand of Papua New Guinea that changed the tides. I quote the Papua New Guinea representative, "If you are not willing to lead, leave it to the rest of. Please get out of the way."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/bPdKs1TNGcc/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bPdKs1TNGcc&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bPdKs1TNGcc&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><br />Although, I am skeptical about how thing will proceed in the next two years, I am hopeful because <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/">IPCC</a> chairman Rajendra Pachauri is satisfied with the outcome of the talks. The IPCC, together with Al Gore, have jointly been awarded the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7041082.stm">Nobel Peace Prize</a> for their work on the film <a href="http://www.climatecrisis.net/">An Inconvenient Truth</a>.<br /><br />Watch the last days of Bali on <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/15/bali.agreement/index.html?eref=rss_world">video</a>.Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-3031939509528990412007-12-15T12:01:00.000+08:002012-06-25T13:59:14.945+08:00Press Conference on UN Climate Change MeetingThe consensus at the Bali UN Climate Change Meeting is that there is one country whose seems to have come to the meeting with a sinister attitude of destroying the talks that all other countries have come to with an attitude of goodwill. That country is the USA. The US is the top emitter of greenhouse gases, yet is unwilling to cooperate with other countries in placing caps that will significantly lower emissions. The Bush administration even had the absurd idea that countries should meet with them at a meeting in the Whitehouse and take talks on climate change from there. The United Nations is the only place that countries can meet and make decisions that are legally binding. Not only is the administration isolated from the talks but from their own country as well. Back in the US historic legislation and laws on reducing CO2 emissions have just been passed into law by individual <a href="http://www.environmentaldefense.org/pressrelease.cfm?contentID=7444">states</a> and the <a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/senate-passes-fuel-economy-0091.html">senate</a>.<br /><br />Watch the press conference with representatives of NGO's that are involved on <a href="http://www.oneclimate.net/virtualbali">OneClimate Virtual Bali</a>.Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-15042792385487524942007-11-11T01:49:00.000+08:002012-06-25T14:00:12.706+08:00Wildlife PhotographsThese images of wildlife by National Geographic are beautiful. My favorite is the one of the penguins surfing the arctic waves.<br /><br /><a href="http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildlife/images/bow_wp10_1280.jpg?fs=canyon" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildlife/images/bow_wp10_1280.jpg?fs=canyon" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br /><a href="http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildlife/images/bow_wp16_1280.jpg?fs=canyon" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildlife/images/bow_wp16_1280.jpg?fs=canyon" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><a href="http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildlife/images/bow_wp11_1280.jpg?fs=canyon" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildlife/images/bow_wp11_1280.jpg?fs=canyon" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><a href="http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildlife/images/bow_wp1_1280.jpg?fs=canyon" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildlife/images/bow_wp1_1280.jpg?fs=canyon" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildlife/wallpaper.html">Download</a> for desktop is available on their website.Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-26820792311477421962007-11-09T23:12:00.000+08:002012-06-25T14:00:43.427+08:00Point Reyes National Park<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXYqGm9dxI/AAAAAAAAACI/84aymITI2Wo/s1600-h/DSC01840.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131245568298678034" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXYqGm9dxI/AAAAAAAAACI/84aymITI2Wo/s640/DSC01840.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Like a girlscout on an adventure, I went with my Biogeography class on a field trip to Point Reyes. Kurt, our enthusiastic and very knowledgeable professor, showed us the different biomes and types of disturbances that exist in this relatively small area. Biomes usually describe the different plant communities on a global level, but PR happens to have several biomes going on around the area. This is usually the case when mountains are present. We have the Forest, Shrubland, Grassland and the coastline.<br /><blockquote>Correction from my Professor:<br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'Default Sans Serif', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 85%;"></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: 'Default Sans Serif', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">Cool to see that on-line! I especially like the composition of that one marsh shot.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Default Sans Serif', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 85%;">One note, however (since it is on-line for all to see...I can't help suggesting a clarification): the entire field trip was in one biome--the Mediterranean Biome--but we were in different biotic communities (oak savannah, redwood forest, pine forest, coastal sage and scrub).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Default Sans Serif', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 85%;"><br /></span></div></blockquote>I need to pay more attention!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXYq2m9dyI/AAAAAAAAACQ/Uv61IS7JHN0/s1600-h/DSC01849.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131245581183579938" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXYq2m9dyI/AAAAAAAAACQ/Uv61IS7JHN0/s640/DSC01849.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXWH2m9dwI/AAAAAAAAACA/AjXnHcxci2Y/s1600-h/DSC01836.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131242780864902914" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXWH2m9dwI/AAAAAAAAACA/AjXnHcxci2Y/s640/DSC01836.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Fire is a disturbance that occurs in this area. Although most people think of fire as an environmental hazard, it actually allows the forest to regenerate. Some plants, like Pine trees, need fire to release the seeds from its cones.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXYr2m9dzI/AAAAAAAAACY/71mTzgnPOFk/s1600-h/DSC01854.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131245598363449138" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXYr2m9dzI/AAAAAAAAACY/71mTzgnPOFk/s640/DSC01854.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXYsmm9d0I/AAAAAAAAACg/QrhYVFCtt5k/s1600-h/DSC01858.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131245611248351042" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXYsmm9d0I/AAAAAAAAACg/QrhYVFCtt5k/s640/DSC01858.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The most amazing thing I've seen on my field trip to Point Reyes is the separation of a creek by a man-made walking path and the resulting creation of a new and distinct biota. These two pictures are of the same creek, I took the pictures of both sides while standing on the walking path. One side has dry grasses and shrub growing around the water's edge, while the otherside seemed lush with tall grasses, green groundcover and fauna such as deer and birds.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXTe2m9duI/AAAAAAAAABw/R6ETd-UzSuA/s1600-h/DSC01870.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131239877467010786" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXTe2m9duI/AAAAAAAAABw/R6ETd-UzSuA/s640/DSC01870.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXTf2m9dvI/AAAAAAAAAB4/2rmIWz6-xV4/s1600-h/DSC01888.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131239894646879986" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXTf2m9dvI/AAAAAAAAAB4/2rmIWz6-xV4/s640/DSC01888.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><br />A sad phenomenon is happening in this grassland, and that's the proliferation of an invasive specie from Africa. I forget what it's called but it's the pretty red and green plant in the middle picture. Invasive species are a sad occurrence because they dominate the landscape destroying the original vegetation and consequently the animal life as well.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXe2Gm9d3I/AAAAAAAAAC4/APPOZPYzCAY/s1600-h/DSC01884.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131252371526874994" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXe2Gm9d3I/AAAAAAAAAC4/APPOZPYzCAY/s640/DSC01884.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXe02m9d2I/AAAAAAAAACw/gKwWEjicVVU/s1600-h/DSC01883.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131252350052038498" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXe02m9d2I/AAAAAAAAACw/gKwWEjicVVU/s640/DSC01883.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXey2m9d1I/AAAAAAAAACo/osN7hpOuuZ0/s1600-h/DSC01881.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131252315692300114" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__W4ibAiVRNg/RzXey2m9d1I/AAAAAAAAACo/osN7hpOuuZ0/s640/DSC01881.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="640" /></a><br /><br />We ended the trip at the beach where it was warm and windless. It almost felt like I was in a tropical beach. I would have stayed to veg-out and enjoy the sun if I didn't have a wedding to attend that night.Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-979802274706303192007-11-09T22:31:00.000+08:002012-06-25T14:01:21.296+08:00IPCC & World Governments Will Meet On Climate Change IssuesThe UN climate panel will meet with 130 governments in Valencia, Spain next week. The panel will seek tougher measures from countries, especially the US and China, in curbing climate change. There is no doubt as to the cause of climate change and to the solutions that need to be applied. According to the scientists, climate change can still be averted with tougher measures.<br /><blockquote>"There is no reason to question the science any longer," said Achim Steiner, head of the U.N. Environment Programme, who said states should act "in the collective interest of humanity."</blockquote>The fear of environmentalists is that pressure from some governments might water down the conclusion of the IPCC 20-page summary for policy makers in order to stall action.<br /><br />full story: <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL0954692820071109?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=environmentNews&amp;pageNumber=3&amp;sp=true">UN Climate Panel to Meet, Add Pressure for Action</a>Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-59455147673875636762007-10-15T23:41:00.000+08:002012-06-25T14:01:49.275+08:00Al Gore & the IPCC Win the Nobel Peace PrizeThe <a href="http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/">Nobel Peace Prize for 2007</a> went to Al Gore and the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.<br /><br /><blockquote>Gore in a statement said he was " deeply honored ... We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."<br /><br />"It is the most dangerous challenge we've ever faced, but it is also the greatest opportunity we have had to make changes," he later said at a brief news conference in Palo Alto, Calif. <br /><br />~ MSNBC, Oct. 12, 2007</blockquote><br />This really gives me hope for the future of our environment. I was beginning to see this fight for environmental causes as an exercise in futility.<br /><br />Thanks Al.Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12437687.post-87904411985407450132007-09-25T23:12:00.000+08:002012-06-26T03:56:07.993+08:00Apple Day: Huguenot Tort<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://kochtopf.twoday.net/stories/4287882/" title="apple day - September 28, 2007"><img alt="apple day - September 28, 2007" height="250" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1099/1431573087_c8d33c3ef4_o.jpg" width="130" /></a><br /><br /></div>Now-a-days I make meals that do not require to much preparation and is fairly quick to make, but is still quite delicious. Yes, I joined the American rat race when I moved back to San Francisco a month ago. Busy busy busy. This recipe for <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=21bc934be4b0f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&amp;rsc=also_try">Huguenot Tort</a>, made with Granny Smith apples and pecans, was shown on the Martha Stewart show and I've been wanting to make it since. I love the combination of the tart green apples with the nuts and sweet meringue-like tort. The whole thing takes a few minutes to mix up using one bowl. It's a perfect dessert to end a luncheon.Mackyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05757452034259636790noreply@blogger.com0